Do Ricciardo and Norris have similar driving styles for the new McLaren?

Over the past two years, McLaren have had two drivers with Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz who complemented each other well. On the track, they pushed each other to the limit, but behind the scenes, they also worked hard to make the car better and better. The two both had a very neat way of driving, but how will that change for McLaren in 2021 with Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. 

Strong front for Ricciardo

Anyone who has followed Daniel Ricciardo over the years knows that one thing is essential in the Australian's ideal car: The front. At Red Bull Racing, Ricciardo actually threw his car into the corners and managed to brake at the last minute, fully confident that he'd be able to make the turn. 

So give Ricciardo a car with a bit of oversteer, but don't arrive with understeer. For example, Ricciardo really needed some time to get used to the Renault. There, the front of the car was much less stable than that of Red Bull, and the Australian said he needed time to not always compare with his old Red Bull.

He must have learned that by now. At McLaren, he has to see how the car works and from there steer the team in his direction. He would like to have a strong front-end. Ricciardo wants to be able to brake as late as possible. In any case, looking at his time at Renault, it is clear that Ricciardo can ultimately manage a team in such a way that he gets what he wants.

What do we expect from Norris?

The question is whether this driving style of Ricciardo is at odds with that of Norris. Probably not. McLaren is very structured as a team, has the right people in the right place with some strong engineers. 

Still, it is quite difficult to identify Norris's driving style. He drives neatly, handles his front and rear well and is especially very fast over one lap. Last lap Lando. In that respect, Norris will only be happy with the extra power from Mercedes, which he can use well in one lap to squeeze even more out of his car.

During the last couple of races during the 2020 season, Norris performed better. He reported during the McLaren press conference yesterday, that he felt more comfortable with the car set-up in Abu Dhabi after a mid-season 'rough patch". The young Brit will probably want to get find this setting again as soon as possible. 

What we do know about Norris is that he found it a relief to drive F1. Where most drivers need adjustment time from Formula 2 to Formula 1, he seemed to be driving better. The F1 car was better suited to his driving style, he would later indicate. Remarkably, cars in the F2 are often cars with understeer.

Apparently, Norris and Ricciardo are both not fans of understeer and prefer a car that is less stable at the rear. The expectation is that McLaren will further develop this car in that direction and with James Key, there is a technical man who knows exactly what Daniel will want in a car from his time at Toro Rosso.

This article was written and originally published by Tim on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.